First things first... This is not true geocaching. This adventure site was created in response to social distancing requirements of the COVID-19 pandemic which, among other things, support the practice of not touching things outside of your home. Well, that makes geocaching difficult - you can't open things you find, nor can you sign a physical log book, etc. So this effort attempts to honor social distancing while still providing a similar experience to geocaching.
Geocaching Adventure, instead of hiding physical caches, focuses on the placement of camouflaged QR codes that can be scanned, untouched, with a smartphone. It still incorporates elements of an online log book that you can read and sign from your phone. It can also contain clues towards finding additional caches, either in a sequential fashion, or a choose-your-own-adventure style. It uses this cache chaining concept as a means of telling a story, establishing a treasure hunt, forming a team bonding exercise, or whatever the creator desires.
- Scan the QR code below with your phone, or view this page in your phone and click the "Play in browser" button.
- Name your team and players! This is used in the cache log.
- Your first cache clue shows. Click the "Find it" button to bring up the location Google Maps.
- Find the QR cache!
- Use Google Maps to get to the general location of the QR cache. The browser page may have hints to finding it.
- If you find it, either switch back to your browser and enter the 5 character code and the Found button, OR scan the QR code with your phone's camera
- If you can't find it, switch back to your browser and hit the hint button, followed by the "show me" button if needed.
- Once you find the cache, a cache log entry is made automatically. You can optionally add a comment. Then keep following the adventure!
If you plan to just enter codes, disregard this next bit. If you are not familiar with QR Codes, please consult this guide for "how to scan". Also, It's important to note that if you plan on scanning, you need to play the game in the browser that your QR code scanner sends you to. For example, if you normally use Chrome on an iPhone, scanning a QR code with the camera function will launch the result in Safari rather than Chrome, which will have no trace of your game and send you back to this main page. The best way to get started is to simply scan the Adventure code listed below, and that way you will automatically be using the correct browser. If you won't be scanning cache QR codes and entering codes instead, this is not an issue.
Note that playing virtually doesn't capture the thrill of the hunt or following the location on a map. That said, we can't always be there in person, so...
- Click the "Play in browser" button by the adventure below.
- Name your team and players! This is used in the cache log.
- Your first cache clue shows. Click the "Find it" button if you want to bring up the location Google Maps (a must when playing in person!).
- Find the QR cache! Since you are playing virtually, you can't really do that, so hit the hint button, followed by the "show me" button, and finally the "I'm playing virtually button" to simulate finding a cache.
- Once you find the cache, a cache log entry is made automatically. You can optionally add a comment. Then keep following the adventure!